fantastic first quarter, i liked it. just remember, there's always a bu good morning. i'm lynn berry. the second debate in the battle for the white house was political confrontation at its best. >> there were a whole bunch of oil companies. >> no, i had a question, and the question was how much did you cut them which? >> do you want me to answer? >> how much do you want me to cut them by? >> not true. >> by how much did you cut them by? you'll get your chance in a moment. i'm still speaking. the answer is i don't believe people think that's the case. >> you're asking a question. >> that wasn't a question. >> we're a little off topic. >> we're completely off. >> i thought we were talking about immigration. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

it is the morning after the second presidential debate. one thing everyone can agree on, the president showed up with something to approve. 46% of registered voters thought president obama did the better job. that's compared to 39% that put governor romney on top. that is a stark contrast from the candidate's first showdown in denver when an overwhelming majority, 67% gave romney the win. a similar split occurred in cbs news's instant poll where 37% of uncommitted voters gave the president last night's victory compared to 30% who chose romney. well, the high stakes presidential debate covered a lot of ground and nbc's steve handlesman has that story from the campus of hofstra university in new york. steve, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, lynn. thanks. good morning from the hofstra campus on long island. both these candidates last night in their second debate seemed on their game. this was high stakes. barely polite. a political brawl. >> very little of what governor romney just said is true. >> reporter: determined to stop

his slide in the polls, president obama hit hard from the start. >> governor romney says he's got a five point plan. governor romney doesn't have a five point plan, he has a one point plan, and that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules. >> reporter: governor romney hit back, a sharp exchange on energy. >> in the last four years you've cut permits and licenses on federal land and federal waters in half. >> what you're saying is not true. >> various deductions. >> reporter: uncommitted voter mary ilene celano asked about taxes and the debt. >> said i would cut taxes for middle class families, and that's what i've done. >> i will not under any circumstances reduce the share that's being paid by the highest income taxpayers. >> reporter: moderator candy crowley. >> settled? >> no, it's not settled. >> reporter: nor was the issue of libya. >> it took them a long time to say this was a terrorist act by a terrorist group. >> suggestion that anybody in my team would play politics or mislead when we've lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. >> reporter: michael jones, an

obama voter in '08 and now. >> i'm not that optimistic. >> we've created five million jobs, gone from 800,000 jobs a month being lost, and we are making progress. we saved an auto industry that was on the brink of collapse. >> median incomes down $4300 a family and 23 million americans out of work, that's what this election is about. >> reporter: this debate was about the sharpest of differences. now the voters weigh in with this race virtually tied and election day three weeks away. from the campus of hofstra university on long island. i'm steve handlesman, nbc news. lynn, back to you. >> steve, thanks so much. well, nbc's andrea mitchell has been leading our truth squad during these debates, and last night she spoke with brian williams. they began with that disagreement you just heard over domestic energy and oil production. >> reporter: oil production did fall by 14% on federal lands on shore and offshore, brian, but that was only in one year, from 2010 to 2011, and it was largely the result of fallout from the

deep water horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico in 2010. but mr. obama is right that since he took office oil production on federal lands is up. in both 2009 and 2010 oil production increased so even with the 14% drop last year overall production on federal lands is still up 10.6% since 2008. one other thing, in terms of natural gas production, natural gas production is down and declining since 2003 according to the energy information administration mainly because of a decline in offshore natural gas drilling, brian. >> andrea, another topic early on, and this has come up sporadically during the campaign, what did mitt romney say and when did he say it about, quote, letting detroit go bankrupt, more specifically general motors? the president kind of threw down on that topic tonight. >> reporter: well, the president was referring to a newspaper piece that mitt romney wrote

back in 2008, but the governor never actually said let detroit go bankrupt. that was the headline by the newspaper, but what romney has been saying, that he was in favor of a managed bailout, a managed bankruptcy where private investors would go in and bail out the auto companies. but the fact is, mr. obama is correct about the fact that most people agree, private companies were not about to invest in detroit back then, only the federal government would, and it's paid off. >> nbc's andrea mitchell with brian williams. with just five days till the third and final presidential debate in florida, today president obama travels first to iowa and then to what may be the deciding state of this entire election, ohio. paul ryan will also be in the buckeye state and he'll be joined by the former secretary of state, condi rice. romney heads to virginia. biden campaigns in nevada. and an early victory for the obama campaign. the supreme court cleared the way for early voting in ohio on the weekend before the election. in a one-sentence order the high court let stand an appeals court ruling on an obama campaign lawsuit that requires early

voting be offered to all ohio voters in the final three days before the election. now in 2008 93,000 voters cast their ballots in those final three days of ohio's early voting including a surge of minority voters. there are now 32 states and the district of columbia that allow early in-person voting. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. we are going to begin with a violent scuffle at philadelphia's oktoberfest. a man arguing with the police slapped an officer right across the face. that set off this scene. bystanders applauding the officer as he took down the unruly civilian. the video has now gone viral and internal affairs is investigating. the 16-year veteran is still on duty. after 42 years a piece of stolen property was returned to its rightful owner. that property just happens to be a roy lichtenstein painting valued at about $4 million.

the fbi discovered a plot to sell the stolen artwork when they seized the piece. get this, the owners only paid about 750 bucks for the painting. wow. and, finally, it was quite a sight in california when a 12,000 pound potato sculpture rolled in on an 18-foot fork in the road. it was a photo op, part of the idaho commission's 75th anniversary celebration. it was to promote an upcoming food drive. here is nbc meteorologist bill karins with your forecast. >> you're a good cook. >> i enjoy cook sglg have you ever perfected a twice-baked potato? >> oh, yeah. it takes a lot of time. >> not just throw it in the microwave. a little more than that? a little above my game. yesterday was another hot

day in southern california, l.a. 91 degrees, phoenix at 93. it's been like summertime through southern california and desert southwest. it continues for one or two more days and then it will cool off. the cool air moved lieu the northern rockies. now it's heading through the middle of the country. not bad yesterday, temperatures in the 60s and 70s. this morning the areas are down in the 30s and 40s. at 43 in medford. most areas in the 40s, but towards spoke cane in the 30s this morning. vegas and l.a., still holding on to the warmth this morning with temperatures in the mid 60s. no stormy weather. so we get a break from our wet weather pattern in the pacific northwest at least for one or two more days. then it looks like the next storm will move in. today, a huge area of high pressure protecting you. windy in the northern rockies. the downsloping from the mountains and winds blowing offshore will give you a nice warm day today in l.a. i mentioned 94 today. 92 on thursday. just another day in the sun. that's a look at your national

forecast. now here is a look at the weather outside you so 93, 94 in l.a. the middle of the summer wasn't this hot. >> call us, tell us how it is. thanks, bill. 14-year-olds making your new iphone. a new england earthquake and an nfl coach fired. headlines are straight ahead. police raid the company suspected in the deadly meningitis outbreak. you're watching "early today."

some of the big stories making news right now. federal agents raided the massachusetts pharmacy suspected in the deadly men ji sis outbreak. an attorney for the pharmacy

complained it was pointless since the drug maker has been cooperating. meanwhile, some lawmakers want the justice department to get involved. 19 new cases were reported just yesterday. a magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck near hollis, maine, last night. that's west of portland. no reports of any damage or injuries, but the jolt was felt in boston and even in connecticut. dropped like a bomb. that is how a museum director in the netherlands describes the thieves who stole seven valuable paintings in the middle of the night. among the works now missing, picasso's harlequin head and monet's waterloo bridge london. no word on how the thieves slipped past the so-called state-of-the-art security. wall street will kick off the day with the dow starting at 13,551 after climbing 127 points yesterday. the s&p rose 14. the nasdaq jumped 36. taking a look at overseas trading on this wednesday. in tokyo, the nikkei jumped 105 points while in hong kong the hang seng leapt 209.

so much for all the doom and gloom. brighter third quarter earnings helped shift stocks back into high gear. heavy hitters mattel, goldman sachs, and johnson & johnson all turned in better than expected reports. ibm beat earnings but missed sales forecasts which could take a toll on the dow today. intel also weighed in with lackluster profit thanks to declining demand for pcs. citigroup's incoming ceo michael corbat held his first conference call after hours following tuesday's surprise resignation from former chief vikram pandit. elsewhere, a123 systems, a federally funded maker of electric car batteries, is now bankrupt despite nearly $250 million in government grants. france's privacy regulator says google's new privacy policy violates european data protection rules. france could impose hefty fines if google fails to modify its policy. foxcon, apple's largest manufacturing partner, has admitted to hiring student interns as young as 14 to work

in its chinese factories. meanwhile, rumor has it apple is ready to unveil the long awaited ipad at an event on tuesday. well, we all know using your phone at a restaurant is a no-no. snapping photos with your phone is okay, in moderation, of course. this according to 67% of diners surveyed by zagat. and finally forget 90210. 10065, a very exclusive area of new york's upper east side is now the priciest zip code in the nation sending swanky new jersey suburb alpine into second place. atherton in california's silicon valley, sagaponack in new york's hamptons, and san francisco suburb hillsborough rounded out the top five. any of your second or third homes, bill, in there? well, the yanks reach the brink and some superstar sauce sells for big bucks. plus, u.s. soccer heads to the final round of the world cup qualifying. your sports headlines are straight ahead. lynn, you know i'm not

comfortable talking about my incredible wealth on tv. your forecast is coming up. a little active in the middle of the nation. you're watching "early today."

in sports, first we head to detroit for the a.l. championship series. the tigers delmon young hit a solo homer.

miguel cabrera had an rbi double. and detroit ace justin verlander pitched shutout ball through the eighth inning. the 2-1 win makes game 4 sudden death for the winless yankees. check this out now. a racing catamaran capsized in san francisco bay while practicing for the cup race. the boat just tumbled end over end. to football now where eagles head coach andy reid fired defensive coordinator juan castillo marking the first time reid has dismissed a coach mid season in his 14 years. let's head over to some kerr. clint dempsey had two goals and an assist for a 3-1 u.s. team victory over guatemala to reach next year's final round of world cup qualifying. finally -- sorry to ruin your breakfast. a gallon of barbecue sauce intended for use on mcdonald's

mcjordan sandwich in 1992, remember those ? well, it sold for nearly $10,000 on ebay. the sandwich was named after michael jordan, of course, during a chicago bulls run of the nba championship. it was a regional promotion sold for a limited time and the first mcdonald's sandwich named after a person. it will now live on forever. well, just ahead, super bowl puts a ring on their halftime entertainer and obama or romney, who gets honey boo boo's vote? plus, witches, bats and tombstones, oh my. we'll show you a spooktacular display in indiana. this is "early today" only on nbc.

good wednesday morning. another very warm, if not hot day in the desert southwest and southern california. it could be warmer today in los angeles than in phoenix. temperatures in the northwest continue to be on tl keir side. more typical for this time of year. we bring back a chance of showers as we go into your thursday. it doesn't look like a big heavy rain event at this time. still nice weather for at least two days in a row here in many areas of california and nevada. it appears nice hot weather is here to stay for at least two more days. >> thanks so much. now to entertainment news. reality tv star honey boo-boo has chosen her presidential candidate. the 7-year-old reality star told jimmy kimmel she supports president obama, but that was only after kimmel told her about mitt romney's interview on "live with kelly and michael" when he said he preferred snooki over

her. it's war. and speaking of kelly and michael, they'll interview michelle obama today for a segment to air this friday. it's the first lady's second appearance this year. "dancing with the stars" spoiler alert. turn away, bill. close your ears. last night bristol palin became the fifth contestant to be kicked off the show's all-star season. >> i had her in my pool. >> you'll have to watch ""the real housewives of new jersey."" the nfl has announced it's going to be beyonce that will headline february 3rd's super bowl halftime show. real excited about this. to mark the announcement, the singer posted a photo of herself sporting eye black. she's the first younger female soloist to perform. since janet jackson's wardrobe malfunction. okay. finally in australia, you know that guy, korean artist psy dropped in on the set of the wolverine and game star hue jackman gangnam style lessons while they both sported

wolverine metal claws. this is from nbc 33 in ft. wayne, indiana where no homeowner spares no expense when it comes to spooking his neighbors. this guy, every halloween, kevin morris transforms his home into a lavish fright fest. over 300 stoom stones. his house of horrors scares up a lot of attention. he does his best to keep it fun for the entire neighborhood. there's kid stuff in there, too. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

an improv 1 tournament could give its competitors some cabin fever. that's because chess players from around the world boarded a train for a five day traveling tournament. the group played as they rode the loop through legendary chess cities in five european countries, including germany and austria. organizers say the train was chosen because it's near impossible to play in cars, buses or airplanes. if you're looking to fancy up your apartment there's an auction in paris you might want to attend if you have some hefty cash. some very rare items belonging to france's decadent queen marie antoinette are going up on the auction block with some expected to fetch over $13,000. the most valuable, a pair of green silk shoes the queen would wear to lavish balls and occasions. >> those are stylish. >> those are stylish. well, for the second year in a row a japanese man has earned the title of oldest in the

world. he's 115 years old and has no significant health problems. he was actually able to accept his guinness award in person making sure to smile big for the camera. there is one more title up for grabs. the man who lived the longest, that would be 115 years and 252 days, a record he could break on december 28th. look at how happy he is. >> he was born in the 1800s. >> he does say that he spends a lot of time in bed but he doesn't have any health problems. he just hangs out. >> i wonder if he has an iphone. >> an ipad. just flipping through all the games. all right. it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. the candidates are back on the campaign trail today. president obama speaks at grassroots events in iowa and ohio while governor romney heads to virginia for rallies in chesapeake and leesburg. new york city mayor michael bloomberg will be joined by president bill clinton and our own tom brokaw at a dedication ceremony for the franklin d. roosevelt four freedoms park. the memorial celebrates the four

freedoms famously outlined by roosevelt, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. and, finally, happy birthday to singer wyclef jean, he turns 40 today. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and here's a look at what's coming up later on the "today" show. an intimate look at the life of ethel kennedy. her children are live in studio with details on a new documentary about their mother. and actor producer director tyler perry is live with matt and savannah to talk about his new role as a detective in the movie, "alex cross." and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com